Nokia relaunches the phone of Matrix and analyzes disembarking in Argentina

Nokia is back. Not only at the Mobile World Congress 2018, where he once again assumed a leading role, but also because he is already preparing to re-enter Argentina. The Finnish brand, a national emblem, led the global mobile phone market for several years and after falling into a deep crisis due to the advancement of Samsung and Apple, resurfaced from its own ashes by HMD Global, reissuing historical models. Last year in Barcelona presented some low cost models (including a reissue of the historic Nokia 3310) and this year, a day before the start of the fair, launched a remastered version of the 8810, popularized in the movie Matrix.

Nokia relaunches the phone of Matrix and analyzes disembarking in Argentina
Nicknamed the “banana”, the 8810 presents yellow and black colors.

For Argentina there are also new features. Last year, Nokia landed in Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru. And sources of the market assure that in the first half of the year the first low-end models will arrive in the country, through a direct importer or a telephone. Everything is part of a plan to expand the brand revitalized by HDM Global, made up of several former senior executives of the “old” Nokia.

One day before the official start of the MWC 2018, Nokia returned to surprise with a vintage model as it did last year. The company introduced the Nokia 8110, another classic with physical keyboard but with 4G, color screen and the ability to download Android applications. The design is renewed but it keeps the sliding keyboard and the format of a banana, with the colors of the Buenos Aires taxi: black and yellow. HMD Global presented it as the “Nokia 8110 4G Reloaded”, and is another reissue of another emblem that Nokia launched for the first time in 1996 and is considered one of the most innovative and successful models in history.

In Europe it will cost just 80 euros, according to the company. It is another bet to the nostalgia and the most successful versions of the company. It has very basic features: 2 Megapixel camera, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS and SIM card for memory. In the same presentation, Nokia introduced another 4 models, two high-end (Nokia 8 Sirocco and Nokia 7 Plus), an upgrade of the Nokia 6 presented in 2017, intermediate costs, and the Nokia 1 for the low range. In this way, Nokia renews and completes its catalog and sends a movie message: “The Return of the King”.

None of these models entered Argentina. Created in May 2016, HMD prioritized other markets. And Argentina is in the crosshairs. “Nokia is very strong locally, as is the case with Motorola”, interprets Sebastián Novoa, analyst at the IDC consultancy. Without going any further, Motorola in Argentina owns 12% of the market share and is the fifth market in the world of the brand that belongs to the Chinese Lenovo. HMD Global (company is integrated by several former senior executives of former Nokia) bought Microsoft the license to produce cell phones in early 2016 and is preparing to recover positions in Latin America. “The teams are produced by Foxconn (just like Apple), HMD is the group that is behind the design of services features and features, and Nokia, the brand that makes all this sense, especially the commercial”, completed Novoa

Nokia relaunches the phone of Matrix and analyzes disembarking in Argentina
The Nokia 6, Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 8110, Nokia 1 and Nokia 7 Plus are part of the new catalog of the Finnish brand.

According to reports, there are at least three companies interested in directly importing the first low-cost Nokia models, without going through the Tierra del Fuego assembly. The analysts explain that it is only profitable to manufacture locally the equipment of medium and high range, after the decision of the Government of gradually reducing the internal taxes. Novoa, of IDC, interprets that many companies are interested in capitalizing on the Nokia brand, but that this decision may take “some time”.

Nokia was the largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world between 2005 and 2012. HMD Global’s parent company is in Finland. Last year, they sold 8 million terminals and it is still far from the leaders: Samsung, Apple and the Chinese Huawei, Oppo and Vivo, among others. In Argentina, Nokia led between 2005 and 2012, when it was displaced by Samsung. Last year, the top five of the best-selling brands are led by Samsung (57% of the market share), followed by LG (15%), Motorola (12%), Huawei (7%) and TCL (2%).